[TriLUG] K12 Linux -- plea for help

[Bob Hassett]

Hi, all: 

	Very few of you know me, but I'm organizing and directing a project to 

put a small (5-10 terminal) Linux-powered, thin-client lab in Chapel 

Hill High School. We're going to make it available to the students 

starting in the fall and encourage interested instructors to 

incorporate it any way they choose. I've been working with one of the 

technology instructors already to hammer out ways we can use it to 

teach network stuff. They're very interested in thin-client setups over 

there, for obvious reasons, and have been looking into Citrix. We've 

now got them considering LTSP. But we need some help. (Here comes the 

pitch...)

	The school has several older PCs to use for terminals. In fact, one of 

the project's goals is to help them make use of these older systems 

that are or will soon be gathering dust. What I'm asking is whether 

anybody here is interested or knows of anyone who might be interested 

in donating a new(er) machine for use as a server. Ideally, it will 

have at least 512MB of memory and 10GB+ of hd. A tape drive would be 

great, but it's not essential. And the setup calls for two Ethernet cards.

The machine would be donated to the school. Neither I nor UNC would 

benefit from it (except for the experience -- this is my master's 

project). I'll have to check it out, but I think it's probably 

tax-deductible. Alternatively, a loaner from July until the end of the 

year would be nearly as wonderful.

	There's a school system out in Haywood County, near Asheville, that's 

very gung-ho on LTSP. But there's been little, if any, of it so far 

around here. I think it could be really exciting.

	In addition, if anyone has any suggestions, perspectives, or 

experiences to share, please don't hold back. Thanks everybody for your 

kind consideration.

---Bob Hassett.